News
Issue #2003 - 05 (February 2003)
(Updated Feb. 13, 2003)

ACQUISITIONS, MERGERS & AGREEMENTS

Aether & Sun - Aether Supports Sun ONE Architecture for Vertical Application Development

OWINGS MILLS, Md. & SANTA CLARA, Calif.- (Feb. 5, 2003) -- Aether Systems, Inc., and Sun Microsystems, Inc., today announced a comprehensive global strategic alliance to further their efforts to deliver joint solutions. 

The agreement will expand the companies' current collaborative sales, marketing, and engineering efforts. Sun and Aether will work together on joint solutions built on open standards using the Sun (tm) Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) and Aether Fusion (tm) for scalability and availability. Additionally, the companies will work together to market joint solutions for large field forces in enterprises and government agencies that perform functions such as maintenance and service, distribution and delivery, public safety and healthcare. 

This alliance combines the strengths of Sun and Aether's respective core technologies, including Sun ONE products such as the Sun ONE Application Server, Java(tm) and Solaris and Aether Fusion. Sun ONE is an open, integratable product portfolio enabling the development and delivery of Java Web services. 

In the enterprise business market, Aether is delivering solutions for mobile office, field service, sales force automation and other applications that provide tangible returns on investment in wireless and mobile technology. Aether and Sun have teamed together in the past to provide mobile solutions for leading companies including Cingular Wireless. 

Aether Fusion is based on Java(tm) 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE (tm) that allows for the secure and reliable extension of critical information to virtually any wireless or mobile environment and runs on top of the Sun ONE Application Server. In supporting the Sun ONE vision, Aether joins a growing list of industry leaders in the effort to drive market adoption of enterprise solutions that deliver Java Web services. 

"Sun, with its strength in federal government and the large enterprise, will leverage Aether's expertise in wireless solutions to introduce and deploy these solutions in largely untapped markets," said Shahram Moradpour, senior director, Market Development Organization, Sun Microsystems. "This solution based on Sun's award winning platform will provide customers with lower total cost of ownership and higher productivity."

Targeted markets include:

• Mobile Government & Homeland Security - Aether's PacketCluster(tm) and PocketBlue(tm) applications provide law enforcement and emergency first responders with real-time wireless access to critical data sources including national crime information. These applications also provide secure real-time communications and alerts across multiple organizations and networks. 
• Mobile Office - Aether Attache(tm) provides device and network independent access to corporate email and groupware. 
• Mobile Logistics - Aether's mobile logistics application, e-Mobile Delivery, provides package tracking and proof of delivery, as part of the company's robust suite of wireless supply chain management solutions.

"This expanded relationship enhances Aether's ability to extend the reach of our products and services on the Sun platform," said George Davis, President and Vice Chairman of Aether. "By developing Fusion-based applications on the Sun ONE architecture, we can offer proven mobile and wireless solutions that are designed to guarantee extensibility and flexibility for customers over time."
"This agreement provides continued momentum for Aether's technology and solutions, particularly following our recent alliance agreement with EDS," said Gregg Smith, President, Aether Enterprise Mobility Solutions. "Sun is recognized as a global technology leader and we look forward to working closely with them to proliferate wireless and mobile solutions."

About Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services. 

About Aether Systems, Inc.
Aether Systems is a systems integrator in mobile application space. Aether's products and services are built on Aether Fusion, the company's standards-based platform that allows for secure, reliable extension of critical information to wireless or mobile environment.

Source: Aether 
For more information: http://www.aethersystems.com

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: This relationship should help Aether in getting Sun's support in this market. It should also help Sun which is not in the mobile vertical application space as actively as it should be as a leading systems supplier. Sun's presence currently is primarily in the lower-level application software (J2ME) and as supplier of Solaris infrastructure to telecom industry. Sun needs more partners like these to be counted in the vertical applications package segment, even though J2EE-based application servers do provide custom application development base to many large enterprises. . 

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of Securities Exchange act of 1934 in USA. Similar provisions exist in other countries. There is no assurance that the stipulated plans of vendors will be implemented. MobileInfo does not warrant the authenticity of the information. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.  All trademarks used in this summary are the property of their respective owners.